


Eternally Sacrificed

by Cheshiregrinfu



Category: A Hat in Time (Video Game)
Genre: M/M, Other, Please my friend worked hard on them i love them so much, also ambiguous ending ig?, its really short but vv good, mild hypnosis themes, minor background characters - Freeform, snatcher is a naga god
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-13
Updated: 2020-05-13
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:01:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24158536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cheshiregrinfu/pseuds/Cheshiregrinfu
Summary: A discord friend wrote a Snatcher x Reader fic for me, after learning about my crush on him- I begged them to post it, but they said I could, so here we go~!Basically you, the reader, are a sacrifice to the God of your town, after a rather bad event, the question is, will he accept your sacrifice?(Thank you, friendo!)
Relationships: Snatcher (A Hat in Time)/Reader
Kudos: 55





	Eternally Sacrificed

You should have seen this coming.   
Alas, neither you nor the very preachers of the temple could have predicted such a travesty.   
  
Allowing a camera crew into the temple to try and catch a glimpse or any form of proof of your god's existence had proved to be the biggest mistake your tiny, quiet village had made in centuries.   
  
Just a week before your home had been the way it always was ever since you were a young boy.   
Your neighbours and local village folk smiled and waved when you walked past, church bells rang out to signal the time passing, birds sang sweetly in the trees and the delicious smells from the café and bakery almost seemed to pull you in for a bite.    
It was utter bliss.   
If not for the cars driving by, the stringed lights in the shops, occasional teens staring at their phone as if in a trance or the music playing from inside the hair salon, you wouldn’t have thought this village existed in modern day. By all appearances it could have easily been mistaken for being in the Middle Ages, having not changed the exteriors of the houses or other buildings since they were built.   
  
Unfortunately, by a simple mistake, the welcoming aura of your home was now gone as if whisked away by a dark wind.   
People barely walked the streets, cars passed as often as a shooting star might, all the faces of the people you knew were becoming thinner and thinner. When the quiet streets weren’t almost deafening you, the sounds of coughing or wailing in the night as another person succumbed to death rang out like the loud church bells once did.   
All shops were closed, the ones that were determined to stand strong had almost nothing to offer. The green grocer was lucky to have a vegetable or fruit available that wasn’t so tarnished you’d have thought someone used it as a football. Even the cafes could barely churn out a cup of coffee or tea without charging you an arm or a leg for it with how low supplies were.   
  
Some people tried to leave, take refuge in a nearby town or city, only for their vehicle to refuse to start or collapsing suddenly mere meters from the edge of the village. Those who dared try again would only disappear without another word, no matter how they swore they’d write of their safe escape.   
  
At least the temple thrived.   
Well, you supposed.   
Funerals took place almost every other day, with only two people to witness the service and grieve over another lost friend or family member.   
Everyone knew that allowing a team of ghost hunters into the temple was a bad idea from the moment they had arrived, cameras ready and Hollywood smiles beaming. Everyone they had interviewed had said the same thing to the members of the crew, or at least suspiciously similar.   
“Please, I know his existence is a mere folk tale to you and our people. But don’t insult him or try and coax him out with challenges.”   
Unfortunately, that was how these men got their viewers and pay check.   
  
So they were allowed into the temple, allowed to film the beautiful carvings in the stone pillars, the exquisite stained glass windows and intricate statues that depicted what the God of your home looked like.    
Tall, long snake tail that extended several feet, toned human torso that rivalled that of the statues created by the great artist Michelangelo himself, long dark hair and a handsome face that seemed to radiate love when you gazed upon it.   
  
Many village folk had yearned to see the beautiful courtyard behind the double doors that resided at the back of the church area, hearing from young vagrants who had been forced to tend to the plant life in there as community service that it was like the modern version of the Garden of Eden. Vines crawling up marble pillars, fresh fruit hanging from trees all around a beautiful carved fountain that pumped blessed water all hours of the day and night.    
Everyone would agree that the God himself lived in that very Garden, but never allowed anyone to gaze upon his form. Occasionally the odd teen or Temple priest would claim they had seen him and he did truly exist, alas it was clear they were lying from the way their smile was too wide or how their eyes never met anyone else’s when they made such bold claims.   
  
True, although many had no proof or straight up didn’t believe he was real, the stories of the great Naga Prince Snatcher were ingrained into everyone’s minds and hearts the moment they read the stories about him. About how he was older than the village itself, how he was the one to instruct the very first settlers on how to build the incredible architecture of every building that stood proud and how with their continued worship, the village would always flourish.   
  
Of course those were the stories that outshone the more terrifying scriptures that claimed his tail was so strong that it snapped an iron statue of another god that had been oh so irresponsibly introduced into his domain into a small nugget as though it were merely tin foil. Or how he would snatch first born children from their beds without a sound if he wasn’t given an offering at the very least once a week. In hushed whispers, some even claimed that if someone sent to tend to the garden as punishment were to be overheard speaking ill of the god, or even outright denying or questioning his existence, they would disappear into thin air. Those that weren’t so fortunate, would be found days later wandering the streets with hair whiter than starlight and eyes blown wide with madness.   
  
Unfortunately, these warnings fell on deaf ears much to the Priests and village folks dismay. The camera crew and investigators called the god every insult known to human tongue, they picked fruit from the trees without asking and threw it around as though they were rowdy college kids egging a house and not a centuries old place of worship. Upon leaving with no proof of the gods existence, everyone immediately felt a heavy wave of pure despair.    
Not knowing that in a week, everything would fall into pieces.   
  
And that’s how you came to be in the Church area of the temple, dressed in pure white robes that smelled of fresh linen and a hint of blackberries. Gold necklaces, rings and bracelets adoring every inch of exposed skin from your ears to your toes.   
On top of the expensive fabric and metals that covered you, the priests had insisted on bathing you in freezing cold holy water before you were offered up to the very God you had scoffed at from the moment someone spoke about him.   
  
“This is our only hope, y/n. If he doesn’t appear to you and accept your servitude then we are all going to die.” The head priest said solemnly as he placed a crown of barely bloomed flowers atop your head.   
You felt ridiculous. Completely, utterly, unimaginably ridiculous as you looked down at the silk garment that barely brushed your ankles and the piles of jewellery that shone in the light shining through the cracked windows. The apparel they’d dressed you in was clearly meant for a young maiden, not a boy.   
As much as you wanted to tear everything off and storm out of the Temple with a few choice words to the Holy men who had chosen you as a sacrifice (Or offering, as they’d so nicely put it), you grit your teeth and barely nodded. There was no choice. If this didn’t save your home town and the people you loved, nothing could.   
With that thought burning in your mind, you stepped through the towering double doors and jumped when you heard them close behind you.   
  
All the stories you heard about the beauty of the garden were pale in comparison to how it really looked.   
Trees towered above you from all angles, nearly knocking the air from your lungs with how clear and fresh the air was inside and how pungent the scent of forest was. If not for the glass ceiling miles above your head letting in the light from the setting sun, you’d be shrouded in darkness from the branches that loomed above.   
Letting out a small sigh of wonder, you took a few steps into the incredible scene that was presented before you.   
The cold stone path that lay under your feet was smooth, not how you had expected it to be at all with all the greenery that would have certainly made it uneven with how far the roots stretched under your feet. Flowers bloomed from bushes and the carpet of lush soft grass that kissed the sides of the stone you walked upon, and vines slithered up the trees and pillars that almost guided you to the large ornate fountain that lay in the centre of the haven you’d been locked into.   
  
By now it was clear why the priests of the temple refused to make this open to the public. Just the thought of unruly children plucking the flowers or splashing in the crisp water that flowed from the fountain was enough to make you wince. The more you ventured in and drank in the surroundings, the more terrifyingly alone you felt. You quietly wished there were at least some kind of bird to break the all too lonely sound of the fountain trickling away. Upon finally approaching said fountain, you took a moment to sit on its edge and rest, the annoying amount of precious metals and fabric being heavier than you’d expected.   
  
For what felt like an hour, you sat and looked around you almost expectantly; ears straining for some kind of sound that would make you feel less alone in the paradise. Alas, all that you could hear was the fountain behind you.   
“I’ll give it another hour. Then, I’m leaving.” You thought to yourself whilst rising to your feet.    
Without a watch or clock however, you had no idea how much time had passed since you had walked into the area, only the sun dipping past the border of the glass ceiling and the dark growing thicker was any indication. Having been so lost in wandering through all the greenery, staring at the beautifully carved marble pillars and small statues that were almost hidden in any area not dominated by the lush nature that surrounded you, the creeping darkness had snuck up on you.   
Having decided you’d wasted enough time waiting for a God whose existence was questioned prior to the recent tragedy that had struck, you found your way back to the double doors and grasped the iron handle.   
  
It turned a fraction, but wouldn’t budge any further. You tried twisting the opposite direction only to receive the same result. Without thinking you repeated the process on the other handle, somewhat unnerved with the way it wouldn’t move an inch, as though it were mere decoration. Again, you tried the first handle but with more aggression, pulling and pushing it as you turned the cold metal only to find the door wouldn’t budge.   
  
“Hey!” You called out, pounding your fist against the wood. “He hasn’t shown up, let me out!”   
Nothing. You pounded against the door with both fists as hard as you could, feeling the tremor in your bare feet on the stone path.   
“HEEEY! Let me out!” You yelled out, panic starting to seep in when you put your ear against the door and heard silence. Over the sound of your fists colliding with the door and your panicked pleas you hadn’t noticed the eyes that bore into your back from the shadows.   
Eventually, you gave up trying to break open the door, letting your aching hands fall to your sides in quiet surrender.    
Taking deep breaths, you tried to calm your nerves and think of how your situation wasn’t as bad as it seemed.   
From your hours of exploring you’d not seen or met anything living, so you were clearly alone.   
The fruit trees were not affected by whatever plague had hit the crops outside the temple, so you had food at least. And to your knowledge, the water in the fountain was safe to drink if you really needed to.   
Letting out one last frustrated breath, you slowly made your way back to the fountain, only to freeze when you saw a shadow move somewhere in the darkness.   
  
No, that wasn’t possible. You had not heard or seen anything no matter where you had looked from the moment your bare feet touched the stone path. It must have been the wind, right?   
That would have been a logical explanation, if it weren’t for the fact that you were locked in a secure room with no open windows to allow any outside air in.   
Trying to quell the fear rising in your chest, you continued to walk toward the fountain, only to freeze in place once more when a rose bush to your right rustled as if a large animal had rushed through it.   
  
As much as you tried to convince yourself it was just your mind playing tricks, the way the branches continued to slowly move from the sudden movement claimed otherwise.   
Almost without thinking, you turned on your heel to try your only exit one last time.   
Instead, you found yourself staring straight into a pair of golden eyes that stopped you in your tracks as fast as lightning strikes. All the fear that you felt had been ripped away within seconds of making eye contact with whoever was in your path. Before you could blink, a voice that would cause any maiden within earshot to swoon broke the silence,   
  
“What are you doing in my garden? A pretty little thing like you shouldn’t be left unattended in places where anyone could… Snatch them away.”   
A fanged grin slowly spread on the creature's face, almost unnaturally so. If you weren’t held in place by whatever trance you’d been put under from its gaze, you would have been shaking like a leaf.    
it blinked slowly and you felt control over your own body rush back, letting out heavy breaths that you didn’t remember holding.   
  
Your mouth opened to speak, but no words came out. Even if you did know what you wanted to say to the man before you, the sight of the long snake tail that began below his chiselled V-line and stretched far out of your field of vision would have made the words die in your throat.    
“Well? Don’t stand there gawping at me like a fish. Tell me, why are you here all alone?” The creature spoke again, his voice giving away his dwindling patience.   
“You’re real… You’re actually real…” You almost whispered in awe, only to mentally punch yourself for speaking. Shaking your head, you swallowed quickly and hastily cleared your throat. “P-please, I've come to you as an offering...!” His brow quirked in interest, slowly gesturing for you to continue speaking.   
“Well, uh… The village has been hit with a horrible famine. Crops fail to grow or rot within hours of being harvested, people are dying from an unknown plague and those who try and leave are either killed in an accident or are never seen again.” You stated with as much courage as you could manage in the presence of a God whose existence you’d laughed at most of your life.    
“And do you know why such hard times have befallen you all?” He asked, the look on his face almost proud.   
“…Because we let people into your garden who didn’t treat it with the respect it was undoubtedly deserving of.” Came out of your mouth so softly you’d almost questioned if you’d spoken at all.    
  
The towering beast before you frowned, finally slithering around you as if he were deciding your fate, eyes raking over every centimetre of your body.   
“So the humans entrusted to the upkeep of my domain think that by covering a pretty boy with jewels, gold and silk and presenting him to me like some kind of goddamned shiny new toy I’ll forgive them for their unimaginably poor judgement? Hah! You people really have lost your minds to think so lowly of me. I gave you knowledge, I blessed your farms so you would never go hungry, when you came to me begging for a blessing so you may finally bear child or whatever other petty desire you had I granted on the one condition that I be given nothing but your gratitude and continued faith. After all I have done for you humans you come to me asking forgiveness by offering up someone against their own will?!” His voice echoed through the room, the glass above trembling with the anger that filled his words. Even your own legs began to tremble with the heavy aura that seemed to bleed out of the creature as he slithered around you still.   
“You pathetic whelps really do want to die, don’t you?” He hissed, his nose almost brushing the crown of rapidly wilting flowers while his tongue lashed out and tickled the shell of your ear.   
  
Without any warning you felt his long tail begin to creep around your ankles, slowly winding as it began to wrap around your body and squeeze lightly. The panicked breaths that left your lungs became shorter once Snatcher's tail had finally closed around your body from the shoulders down, the sound of your heart beating in your ears drowned out the distant sound of the fountain as he began to constrict and squeeze tightly around your trembling form.   
“I-I came here of my own accord!” You finally managed to choke out, scaring yourself out of the panicked trance that had robbed you of your instinct to fight back. In that moment you felt all movement cease, only for the thick appendage that held you to ever so slightly loosen.   
  
“…Go on.” It wasn’t a command, it wasn’t a request. It was the only opportunity you would have to save yourself and everyone you loved. Not wasting any more time, you swallowed your fear and continued.   
“I came here of my own free will. I’m so very tired of losing the people I love, the people who have supported and helped me grow through my whole life dropping like flies because of poor judgement of character. They aren’t to blame for what those people did, if anything they tried to prevent it by warning them and asking the priests to reconsider. I’m the one who is offering up my life and freedom to you. What you will do with it is entirely your choice. Just… Please. Spare my village. I don’t want them to suffer anymore.”   
  
You hadn’t noticed the tears that had begun to flow down your cheeks until a clawed finger gently wiped them away, nor had you noticed how intensely the man before you was staring into your misty eyes for any silver of a lie. When he realised how desperate you were to save those he had brought so much suffering and despair, offering your very existence in return for their protection and wellbeing, he let out a soft sigh and tenderly cupped your cheeks in his cold palms.   
“You’ll do anything I ask of you with no hesitation, you’ll tend to my every need without question?” He asked, tilting his head with a look that was almost gentle while his clawed thumbs stroked away the tears that continued to silently fall down your face.   
“I’ll do anything. My life is yours to do with as you will.” You whimpered out, unable to tear your eyes away from the brilliant golden ones that seemed to bore into your very soul.   
“Then, I shall revoke my curse upon this land for you, my pretty little human…” He purred, the coils that once almost broke every bone in your body relaxed until you could feel your trembling feet connect with the cold stone path.   
  
“T-Thank you… Thank you so-“ Words died in your mouth as you felt your mind become hazy, your limbs relaxing as you felt unable to avert your eyes from his. You felt that if you looked away for even a second you’d be committing the worst crime, which would be akin to spitting on that flawless skin that brushed against your own. Any sadness, feelings of hesitation or thoughts about your own self-preservation melted away the more you stared back. You tried to speak, but no words would form. Your mouth wouldn’t even move. Your limbs hung limp as your body relaxed into the nest of cold scales that encased your being.   
“Hush now, my pretty little thing… Hush…” He cooed in an almost sultry manner, clawed fingers dancing across your lax arms and up your neck, slowly entangling into your hair while he shushed you despite your inability to speak. “You look so beautiful like this, powerless against my gaze. Your eyes focused solely on me and your body at my mercy…” He accentuated the last part by tracing his index finger up the side of your neck, the tip of his claw resting under your chin before slowly sliding down to where the silken robe exposed your chest. A hitched gasp escaped your lips when his other hand trailed from the back of your neck slowly down to your hip, gently squeezing as his thumb stroked slow circles on your clothed flesh. You could barely register the sound of the jewellery around your neck clinking in his claws as his tail loosed so you were laying almost flat on your back with his tail cushioning you as though it were a sort of nest, his hands ceasing their exploring of your body to rest either side of your head to cage you in further.   
  
With a single slow blink, you felt air rush back into your lungs as if your very life had been blown into you. It felt like you had forgotten how to breathe, gulping in air while the creature above you smirked and began to chuckle to himself.   
“Oh I’m going to have so much fun playing with you, y/n…” He laughed, drinking in the sight of your mortified expression.   
“H-H-How do you k-know my name-“ Just like before, your body relaxed on its own and you could do nothing as a deep sigh fell from your lips.   
“Poor little thing, becoming so wrapped up in my touch that you forgot that I am the God that holds your mind, body and very soul in my grasp. Don’t fret my dear; we’ve got more than enough time to make sure you remember…” Snatcher purred, one of his hands stroking the top of your head down to your throat as the tip of his tail wrapped tightly around your ankle.   
You felt a voice urging you to run away, to snap out of this trance and get as far away from this monster as you could. Unfortunately, when Snatcher's hand that wasn’t wrapped loosely around your throat gently placed your right hand against his bare, toned chest, that voice fell silent.   
Even when Snatcher relaxed his hold on your mind and you briefly wondered whether or not to pull your hand away from his cold flesh, the instinct to run away became more like a fleeting thought.   
  
All you could focus on was how very  _ hungry _ his piercing gaze had become.


End file.
